First look: Arrow's new mask draws major inspiration from the comics

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It’s taken a season and a half, but Arrow’s suit is getting a bit of a redesign — and it should look very familiar for fans of the Green Arrow comic series.

Starting soon, the CW series will introduce a domino mask to Arrow’s ass-kicking outfit, instead of that dark eye makeup he’s been sporting since the series debuted. As comic fans know, the domino mask is a signature part of Green Arrow’s look — so it makes sense it would work its way into the series.

But why now? Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says the new look will be representative of Oliver’s transformation from “vigilante to hero” as he takes on a different appearance for his new role in Starling City.

”Conceptually, it was something we wanted to do because Oliver himself is evolving as the Arrow– from vigilante to hero, sort of from Arrow to Green Arrow — and we wanted to see that progression in his costume as well. As Oliver is embracing being a hero, being a hero means stepping out of the dark and being more of a symbol, so he has to take steps to conceal his identity more.”

As for the look of the mask? That apparently took some time. Kreisberg reveals that their initial designs were a little too “Joel Schumacher-esque” (please, no plastic nipples!), but they kept working at it to finally land on the understated design below. Honestly, it looks like a good fit — and we can’t wait to see how they introduce it.

Kreisberg wouldn’t go into too much detail, but did tease that it’ll be a “big plot point” in the Dec. 11 episode when it shows up, largely because of how Oliver comes to have it. Hmm, color us intrigued.